Wide field-of-view stereo vision platform with dynamic control of immersive or heads-up display operation

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to 3D stereo vision goggles or other platforms that could be used for enhanced vision systems for surgical applications, for patients with macular degeneration, or for entertainment or business applications. The invention takes images received from a video input source, and segments and projects those images off a mirror defined by a portion of an ellipsoid and directly onto the retina of the eye of a user. The invention allows users to enjoy 3D stereoscopic vision with an increased field of view, increased image quality, increased comfort, reduced cost, and other benefits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to 3D stereo vision goggles or otherplatforms, that can be used for enhanced vision systems for use withendoscopic surgery, robotic assist surgery, open surgery, and surgicalmicroscopes; as visual aids for patients with medical conditions such asMacular Degeneration; and for business and entertainment applicationsfor which a 3D stereo vision display would be desirable

2. Description of the Related Art

Today a surgeon has several types of vision enhancing tools to choosefrom in treating his patient. The main visual tools presently in useare; remote 3D vision used with robotic assist systems, eye loops usedwith open surgery, endoscopic cameras, and 2D and 3D cameras used withsurgical microscopes. All of the visual tools have been built to improvethe surgeon's sight primarily through magnification.

In one example, robotic assist surgery uses a four arm robotic system tohold endoscopic tools. The surgeon performs the surgery by sitting at aremote console where he controls the robotic arms that are holding theendoscopic tools and camera. The robotic assist system uses a 3Dendoscopic camera where the camera images are displayed on twohigh-resolution, high-definition flat screen displays. The surgeon viewsthe two displays through two wide angle lenses. The surgeon can see theoperation with depth perception and reasonable resolution, but a fairlynarrow field-of-view. Moreover, the surgeon must keep his head at aspecific location and remain motionless in order to keep the stereoimage in full display.

In open surgery, magnifying glasses called eye loops are routinely used.The magnification is good and so is the resolution, but thefield-of-view is narrow and there is a proportional relationship betweenhead motion and magnification.

In endoscopic surgery, the endoscope allows the surgeon to operate on apatient by making small incisions and inserting long thin tools used toconduct the operation with one hand, then inserting a long thin toolwith a miniature camera at the end and holding it with the other hand.The surgeon coordinates the movement of the tools by viewing theoperation on flat panel display. Endoscopy requires the surgeon togenerally look at a flat screen monitor that is 2D and typically not atthe optimal position. For example, the monitor is placed to the sidesuch that the surgeon performs the surgery with his head turned to theside. This is unnatural compared to looking down at your hands as isdone during normal open surgery.

Specialized stereo microscopes have been developed that allow surgicalprocedures to be performed using a highly magnified image with depthperception, but just as with the robotic assist stereo display thesurgeon must keep his head fixed peering into the microscope'seyepieces.

Even though these tools have been developed to extend the surgeon'sunaided eye, there still remain some common problems with all of thesesystems. All four visual tools have an excellent rating on one, andsometimes two of several visual parameters—such as, acuity,magnification, field-of-view, depth perception, focusing (manual orautomatic), contrast ratio, cost, and ergonomics—that are typically usedto characterize and compare surgical vision systems' visual parameters.For example, a stereo 3D vision system used with a microscope magnifiesan object and provides depth, and acuity is good, but the field-of-viewis very narrow, the initial system is expensive, and the ergonomics arepoor. The ergonomic parameter is related to how natural or unnaturalyour body position is when using the tool, and is generally a measure ofcomfort. Architectures for new devices that can extend one or morevisual parameters while maintaining the remaining parameters at a levelequivalent to the unaided eye has proven to be elusive. A newarchitecture is required for medical vision systems that optimize allvisual parameters.

Although the description below focuses on the application of thisinvention in medical surgery, it is equally valid to apply it as avision aid for people with retinal degradation or other visualdeformities. For instance, the goggles or other embodiments of theinvention described herein could be used by patients with MacularDegeneration. The invention could also be used for business andentertainment uses as discussed below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a new type of 3D stereo vision goggle or otherplatform. Features of the preferred embodiment of goggles include totalhorizontal display with a field-of-view of 120 degrees for each eye, anda 60 degree binocular overlap between both left and right eyes, apartially mirrored ellipsoid section on the inside of each side of thegoggle that places an image directly on the back of the retina of eacheye, and vergence focus based on real time eye tracking and control ofeye gaze, creating a high-definition 3-D image for the wearer.Embodiments of the invention also include additional components andmethods such as automatic alignment of the vision system to the wearer'seyes, dynamic control of immersive or see-through operation, a threeaxes head position sensor, and the ability to programmatically adjustthe display to accommodate the wearer's eye prescription, including, butnot limited to, magnification and astigmatism. The invention could alsobe used with vision systems for business and entertainment applications.Correction of geometric aberrations and distortion uses technology fromseveral engineering fields, including optics, control theory,electronics, mechanical engineering, and software engineering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention can be better understood, the followingsection provides, as example only, different embodiments of theinvention that later will be described and referenced.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the image path for each eye within oneembodiment of the vision platform.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the main hardware components of oneembodiment of the entire vision system platform.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a processor that acts as a displaycontroller.

FIG. 4 is a top view of one embodiment of the goggle.

FIG. 5 illustrates the general alignment of the goggle described hereinand how an ellipsoid section is selected and used for the goggle design.

FIG. 6( a) is a diagram showing a side view of one embodiment of thegoggle.

FIG. 6( b) shows how the goggle's outside lens fits with respect to theellipsoid mirror.

FIG. 6( c) is a front view of one embodiment of the goggle.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how an image from a display buffer for oneeye is pre-distorted using a mapping algorithm.

FIG. 8 a illustrates one embodiment of a three dimensional ellipsoidwith two foci shown as black dots, and a section of the ellipsoid usedto design the goggle or other embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 b illustrates two of the ellipsoid sections from FIG. 8 a placedside-by-side in the same matter used by the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates light taken as a ray emitted from one foci of aninternally mirrored ellipsoid through an optical subassembly and throughanother foci located in a wearer's eye.

FIG. 10 shows the internal construction, OLED, lenses, and mirrors ofthe optical subassembly shown in FIG. 9

FIG. 11 is a diagram that shows the rear view of a large field-of-viewimage segmented into six smaller frames and a hexagon mirror is used toreflect the six frames to their assigned position.

FIG. 12 is a timing diagram that is used to synchronize the servocontrolled hexagon mirror's images at a specific update rate.

FIG. 13 shows how the stylized image and its six segmented framesdescribed in FIG. 11 will appear when the image is projected off theellipsoid mirror from the hexagon mirror shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a top view of goggle manufacturing equipment used to correctand update the lookup table.

FIG. 15 is a graph showing the human eye's visual acuity versus field ofview.

FIG. 16 is a wide field of view, high-resolution camera attached to atwo axes gimbal system.

FIG. 17 a is a neutral density filter for a high-resolution narrow fieldof view camera.

FIG. 17 b is a neutral density filter for a low-resolution wide field ofview camera.

FIG. 18 is a front view of goggle with camera module.

FIG. 19 a is a simulation of an output image from the high resolutionwide field of view camera.

FIG. 19 b is a magnification of the simulated image in FIG. 19 a.

FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate vergence control at far and near focalpoints, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiment of the invention presented in this section consists of avision system with external image processing and a display electronicpackage that enables the wearer to receive a 3D stereoscopic imagedirectly on the retina of their eyes. The invention described herein canbe applied to other display technologies, such as movie displays anddisplays used for business applications, and provide viewers with thebenefits of the invention described herein.

The invention applies methods from multiple engineering disciplines,such as system design, optical design, electrical design, mechanicaldesign, control theory, and software in a goggle vision system with theprimary features of high resolution, improved acuity, widefield-of-view, superior depth perception, and focusing based on vergencecontrol.

One embodiment of this invention looks like a pair of ski goggles. Anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) array is used to generate an imagethat is projected through a series of lenses, reflected off a spinningpolygon mirror, and reflected off mirrors. The image then reflects offthe final mirror that has the shape of a section of an ellipsoid. Imagesare generated to seem as if it emanated from one of the ellipsoid's twofoci, then the ellipsoid sector is oriented such that the other focuspoint is at the goggle wearer's eye's center-of-rotation. The imagereflecting off of the ellipsoid section places the image onto the retinaof the wearer.

A block diagram of the image path within an embodiment of the completevision system platform is shown in FIG. 1. Multiple camera types such asstandard 2D camera 1504, medical endoscope 1505, 3D cameras 1503, and anew type of camera called a vergence controlled high resolution camera1502, can be used. Computer generated images 1501 can also be used, suchas if the system is used for a 3D computer simulation or forentertainment. The details of a vergence controlled camera are describedbelow.

In operation, only one of the inputs 1501-1505 will be used at a timefor each eye.

Image data from the camera or other input flows initially into thedisplay controller's buffers 1507. The memory size of each buffer and“Pre-Distort” buffer 1507 b and 1507 d is large enough to contain all ofthe pixels for an entire image plus metadata for each pixel. The buffersare segmented into equal parts which each segment has the memory sizeequal to the number of pixels in the OLED array 1315. The number ofsegments is equal to the number of facets on the polygon mirror 501.From the buffers 1507 a and 1507 b the data is mapped to “Pre-Distort”buffers 1507 b and 1507 d. The mapping takes into considerationdistortions caused by the optical path as well as the wearer's eyeprescription, as described further in FIG. 7. The display controllertransmits the data from the “Pre-Distort” buffer in segments to thegoggles. Additional input from sensors 1517 and eye tracking 1516 canmodify how the data is mapped into the Pre-Distort buffer. ThePre-distort buffer is continuously updated to the goggle communicationinterface 1508. Some embodiments can have more than one goggle toupdate, such as solutions applied to surgery. During most surgeriesthere are multiple surgeons present, or there may be medical studentspresent. The application specific module 1506 provides multipleattachment ports so several goggles could see the same image as theprimary surgeon.

Display data received by the goggle 1508 is moved using Direct MemoryAccess (DMA) to the Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) array 1509. Theimage formed by the OLED goes through a set of lenses in the lenspackage 1510. The output of the lens package reflects off of a foldingmirror then reflects off a servo controlled polygon mirror 1511. Theimage coming off the polygon mirror reflects off of a specific sector ofan ellipsoid mirror 1512 which has one of its focus points positioned atthe center of rotation of the wearer's eyes. The image passes throughthe wearer's pupil and lens then onto the wearer's retina 1513.

Using a polygon mirror is one way of displaying the image. Therepetitive update of all of the segments using the same sequence iscalled raster scanning. As an alternative to the rotating polygonmirror, or raster scanning, the system could use vector scanning. Vectorscanning allows any segment to be updated in any order. Implementationis typically done with two independent mirrors and two motors. Sinceeach mirror is attached to its own motor, each mirror can be placed atany angle. This allows segments to be displayed in any sequence. Whilethere are only two ways of updating the segmented image, which areraster scanning and vector scanning, there are multiple ways of creatingthe segments that constitute in aggregate the image.

One embodiment of the invention uses an OLED as a light emitting devicefor generating a small piece of the image which is called a segment.There are other technologies that can used to generate the segmentedimages. They include Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Light Emitting Diode(LED), and laser scanning. The latter can use both raster and/or vectorscanning.

Additional features include but are not limited to dynamic control ofthe lens magnification 1515 and velocity control of the motor drivingthe polygon 1514. The velocity must stay locked at the 60 hertz rate.The 60 hertz frequency is locked in frequency and phase using feedbackcontrol theory. When the vertical pulse frequency varies, the entireframe shifts up and down, causing disorientation to the wearer.

Real time eye tracking 1516 over the entire eye movement envelope is anessential function to support vergence control and vergence focus. Theeye makes large angular movements called saccadic motion. This motioncan result in the eye reaching maximum velocities of 500 degrees/secondand accelerations of 2000 degrees/sec^2. Fast sample rate cameras withsample rates of 200 hertz or higher are required to adequately track theposition of the eye.

Some embodiments require special processing that is not available in thedisplay controller, such as surgical eye loupes used to magnify theoperating field seen by the surgeon. Sensor data input from the goggle'saccelerometers and image processing from stereo 3D cameras are requiredfor this embodiment. A separate application specific module 1506 is usedto support the embodiment's requirements.

A block diagram of hardware components of one embodiment of the visionplatform is shown in FIG. 2. The main components are the goggles 1203and a processor that acts as a display controller 1206. A cable assembly1204 connects the goggle and display controller.

The cable assembly 1204 comprises two copper wires for power and ground,and four fiber optic cables. The optic link is used for sending imagesto the goggles which then present the images to the retinas of the lefteye and the right eye. Also, the left and the right camera images forthe camera module 1201 are sent from the camera module to the displaycontroller, along with other data such as diagnostics, code debug, anderror codes.

The goggle 1203 comprises a Left Eye Projection Module 1202 and RightEye Projection Module 1211 and a Camera Module 1201, which may bemounted to the goggle or not mounted to the goggle. Each projectionmodule comprises a self-contained set of optical, electrical andmechanical parts. Each projector module has the functionality to alignto the wearer's eyes.

The display controller 1206 can operate in multiple configurations. Forexample, for patients with retinal diseases, such as MacularDegeneration, the display controller is mobile and runs on a battery.The controller is small enough for the patient to wear it on their hipor could be attached to the goggles themselves. Another configuration isin support of surgeries. The display controller configuration forsurgical applications consists of the image processing electronics,software and display electronics.

A detailed block diagram of the display 1206 controller is shown in FIG.3. The Display Controller has five external interfaces.

-   -   a. Goggle electrical and optical connector 1401.    -   b. Remote camera electrical and optical connector 1410. This is        used for connecting to the video input.    -   c. External electrical and optical connector 1409. This is for        use by third party companies to integrate the vision platform        into their products.    -   d. Ethernet port 1408, which is used for software development        and diagnostics.    -   e. Power module interface 1407, which supports two types of        power modules, one for AC and the other for battery power.

Coordinating the communication among the external and internal modulesis accomplished by the communication system 1406. The display buffers1403 and 1405 receive data from external video inputs. Each displaybuffer 1403 and 1405 consists of two internal buffers, as shown furtherin 1507 of FIG. 1. The first internal buffer receives the incomingcamera data and the second takes the data from the first buffer andpre-distorts the data. The pre-distortion corrects for Keystoning,distortion caused by curved mirrors, and wearer's eyeglassprescriptions. The data from the pre-distortion buffer is transmitted tothe output buffer in the goggle's projector and camera module 1401. Themacular centered display buffers 1402 and 1404 receive camera data fromthe camera module located in the goggles. Each buffer 1402 and 1404contains two sub-buffers, one for high resolution narrow field-of-viewimages and the second for wide field-of-view peripheral images. Theimages are mixed together with the narrow field-of-view high resolutionimage placed where the wearer's eyes are pointed. This is part of theconcept called vergence control. Vergence control is covered in greaterdetail below in the discussion of the new camera developed as part ofthis invention.

This invention aligns and adapts to the differences in a wearer's facialgeometry; such as differences in the width of a wearer's eyes, thevertical height of one eye to the other, or if a wearer has a flatforehead or a slopped forehead. This invention can align to each eye.This is accomplished by making the printed circuit boards dedicated toan axis. For example there is an x axis and a y axis. The z axis movesin a linear direction and in a rotational pitch direction. This providesa total of four dimensions for each eye.

The previous components and modules when form a vision platform can becustomized for a specific application, be it patient use, surgicalapplications, or other applications.

One embodiment of this invention has an appearance very similar to astandard ski goggle. An example of such a general goggle structure isshown generally in FIGS. 5 a, 5 b, and 5 c, with a specific embodimentof the goggle structure shown in FIG. 6( c), showing a front view, andFIG. 4, showing a top view.

The components on the right side of the goggle for projecting imagesonto the retina of the right eye in FIG. 4 are replicated on the leftside of the goggle for the left eye. The drawing shown in FIG. 4 is thetop view of the goggle. There are six coordinate systems used in thegoggle; five are local coordinate systems for the left and rightprojectors, left and right eye tracking, and a 3-axes accelerometer. Thesixth is a global coordinate system that establishes the reference pointamong the local coordinate systems. Mathematically, the reference pointis defined using homogeneous transfer equations that are common incomputer graphics and robotic control.

There are three printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are used to align theright projector to the right eye. XR and ZR (YR is going into the page)are the local references for the x, y and z axes of the right projector.XL and ZL (YL is going into the page) are the local projector referencesfor the x, y, and z axes for the left projector. X and Z are the globalcoordinate system.

Starting at the x axis board 1305 the x axis motor 1307 can move the PCBwhich is attached to bushings 1304 and shaft 1305. The x axis motor canmove the PCB approximately plus or minus 0.250 inches from its nominalposition. The y axis PCB 1311 is attached to the x axis board 1305through bushing and shafts 1318. Movement of the x axis board also movesthe y axis board. The z axis board 1310 is attached rigidly to the yaxis board 1311 using spacers. The z axis motor 1309 is attached to thebracket 1312. The entire optical system is attached to the bracket 1312.The optical system consists of elements annotated by focus adjustmentmotor 1301, ellipsoid mirror 1302, OLED driver board 1303, polygonmirror 1313, ball bearings 1314, and bearing pillow blocks 1317. Thereare two more elements not shown in FIG. 4 because OLED 1315 is occludingthe parts. The occluded elements are Lens Assembly 1114, and Prism 1113as shown in FIG. 6 c. The goal of the moving x, y, and z, axes is toprovide a means to automatically position the second ellipsoid focalpoint 304, at the center of rotation of the wearer's eye, as shown inFIG. 9 and discussed below. All three boards are moved in a coordinatedfashion in order to achieve this goal. This process is doneindependently for the both right and left eye projectors.

The optical path for projecting an image on an eye's retina photonicallystarts at the Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) array 1315, which ispart of an optical subassembly. A generalized view of the opticalsubassembly 413 is shown in FIG. 10. The subassembly comprises OLED 405,a lens assembly 406 a, a prism 406 b, a first stationary folding mirror407, the polygon mirror 408, and a folding mirror 409.

Below the OLED 1315 in FIG. 4 are the lenses, prism, and mirrors 406-409shown in FIG. 10 that de-magnify the image. This is done to reduce thefacet size and polygon 1313 size to its smallest dimensions. The lensassembly 1114 in FIG. 6 c also can vary the magnification or dioptersfrom −5 to +3 using motor 1301. A prism 1113 in FIG. 6 c, translates theimage to the first of four mirrors. The image leaves the prism 1113collimated. The polygon mirror servo motor 1303 is illustrated in FIG.4. The polygon mirror 1313 is mounted between two solid and ridgestructures called pillow blocks 1317. The polygon's shaft is attached tothe pillow block through ball bearings 1314. The final element of theoptical path is the ellipsoid mirror section 1302.

Initially, a wearer puts on the goggles and presses an “on” button (notshown), then the printed circuit boards 1305, 1310, and 1311 move todefault positions, which are the nominal positions of each board. Atarget image is generated internally by the system and displayed. Thewearer adjusts the goggles using both hands until the identical targetimages are seen with both eyes. A button is pressed on the side of thegoggles 1308 once the image is seen by one eye. Using the eye trackingcameras 1107 & 1110 in FIG. 6 c, and a series of alignment images theprojectors in the goggles are aligned to its wearer. Alignmentparameters for several wearers can be stored in the display controller1206 in FIG. 2. Automatic focus of the optical axis is done in order tosupport large variations of refractive errors in the wearer's vision.Both myopia and hyperopic correction is done from −5 to +3 diopterswhich allow most wearer's to use the invention without eyeglasses. Asmall electric motor 1301, shown in FIG. 4, adjusts only the refractiveelements in the optical subsystem 1315. The remaining optical componentsconsist of reflective elements.

There are two optical pathways with this invention that requiremeasurement to ensure that the image is as clear as possible. The firstis adjusting the focus of the wearer to the display and the second isfocusing the camera platform to the gaze of the wearer. Adjusting thefocus of the goggles is achieved by entering the wearer's prescription.The software in the display controller will then adjust the focus tocontrol the goggle to match the wearer's prescription. The secondinvolves using a camera module option that plugs into the goggles. Thecamera module consists of two high resolution camera assemblies with tworotational degrees of freedom for each camera. Eye tracking in thegoggle is used to move the left and right eye cameras in coordinationwith the wearer's left and right eye, as described in further detailbelow.

When the goggles are initially donned, a curved plate is pressed againstthe wearer's forehead 1316. This plate maintains a consistent referencepoint after the alignment process is completed.

Additional space used for electronics or sensor options, such as GPS orcontrol buttons, is shown at 1308.

FIG. 5 shows an illustration of how an ellipsoid sector is applied tothe construction and function of the goggle 105. An ellipsoid 106 ismathematically defined by two foci as shown in 111 and 112. For thisimplementation of the invention one of the focus points is chosen to bethe image source 101, 102, and 112. If the inside wall of an ellipsoidwere mirrored, light emitted from one focus point would reflect off ofthe internal mirrored wall and go through the other focus point. Thisproperty is used by this invention to directly place an image on theback of the goggle's wearer's retina.

A specific section of the ellipsoid was chosen because its locationallowed the mirror to be mounted in the goggle 105. In addition, otherconsiderations on choosing the location of the ellipsoid section are thefield of view of the goggle and where to locate the image source.

The image is formed on the retina by placing the second focus point atthe center of rotation of the eye 111. For the image to be visible overthe entire field of view of the eye the following conditions must bemet:

-   -   a. The image source must seem to be emitted for the first focus        point 101, 102, and 112. This process is done when the device is        manufactured. Once aligned, the first focus point should not        move.    -   b. The second focus point 111 must be placed at the center of        rotation of the wearer's eye. This process must be done for        every wearer. A process that consists of a set of special        alignment targets is presented to the wearer in sequence.        Initial alignment begins with finding the center of gaze, which        is accomplished by placing targets virtually straight in front        of the goggle. Both projectors are used with the distance        calibrated to a known distance away. Then using a sequence of        spiral of dots, each dot is presented individually to the        wearer. The last test is showing several 3D photos with single        objects presented in the fore field at different distances. For        each picture the location of the wearer's left and right eyes        are temporally stored. After the testing is completed a mapping        of distance to eye triangulation is calculated. Once done for        the wearer the settings can be stored.    -   c. The ellipsoid section covers the field of view of the eye.        This process is completed during the design and manufacturing        phase.

The goggle is held against the wearer's face by a wide elastic strapthat is under tension 1110.

Power, communication, and the image displayed are sent to the gogglethrough a cable assembly comprising four fiber optic cables and twocopper wires. This cable plugs into a connector that is mounted on theback side of the wearer's head 108, 109.

The general equation for an ellipsoid given in Cartesian coordinates is:

$\begin{matrix}{{\frac{x^{2}}{a^{2}} + \frac{y^{2}}{b^{2}} + \frac{z^{2}}{c^{2}}} = 1} & (1)\end{matrix}$Where lengths a, b, and c are called the semi-axes. The shape generatedis called a spheroid if two of the semi-axes are the same. If c<a theshape is called an oblate spheroid and if c>a the shape is called aprolate spheroid. When all three axes are different the shape is calleda triaxial ellipsoid. If all three axes are the same the shape is asphere.

One embodiment of the invention uses a spheroid where the two commonaxes have the same radius of 2 inches and the third axis has a radius of3 inches. A computer generated ellipsoid 201 shown in FIG. 8 aillustrates a 2×2×3 ellipsoid.

Spherical parametric equations, (2), (3), (4) derived from the commonellipsoid equation (1) are used to determine the best mirror locationwithin a spheroid and relative to a wearer's eye.x=a cos u sin v  (2)y=b sin u sin v  (3)z=c cos v  (4)

-   -   for u=[0,2π) and v=[0,π]

An illustration of one of methods how a wide FOV image is placed ontothe eye's retina is shown in FIG. 8 a. An ellipsoid mirror section 204is positioned in front of the eye where the ellipsoid's focus point 203is positioned to the center of rotation of the wearer's eye. Bothrefractive and reflective optics condition the image such that it seemsto be originating from the ellipsoid's other focal point 202.

The design criterion for selecting the mirrored section is shown in FIG.8 b where one ellipsoid mirror section is placed in front of each eye.In one embodiment of the invention, the major axis of the ellipsoid isrotated from the horizontal to allow for sufficient clearance betweenthe projector module and the wearer's forehead. The image source has toemanate or seem to emanate from the source foci 207 and 208. Two imagesemanating from 207 and 208 reflect off of the mirrored surfaces of theellipsoids 205 and 206. Then the reflected rays go through foci 209 and210, presenting an inverted image on the back of the wearer's retina.

FIG. 9 shows the basic application of the ellipsoid shape and mirror tothe invention. The foci of the ellipsoid are f1 301 and f2 304. Theellipsoid main axis is shown at 302. The optical axis is moved“off-axis” such that the image source can be located above the wearer'shead while reflecting off the ellipsoid mirror 305 and going through thefocus point 304. Focus point 304 is positioned at the center of rotationof the wearer's eyes. An optical subassembly 306 is placed between thesource focus point 301 and ellipsoid 305. The optical subassembly hasthe characteristics that the light rays emitted from 306 should tracebackwards to focus point 301. This will allow the light to reflect offthe ellipsoid mirror and through the eye's center of rotation focusingon the wearer's retina.

FIG. 10 shows one embodiment of the optical subassembly. The ellipsoid'smajor axis 401 and the two foci 403 and 404 are shown. The lightemitting segmented image source is an Organic Light Emitting Diode(OLED) 405. The output from the OLED goes through multi lens system 406that reduces the magnification of the image and provides a dynamic focuscontrol of the light reflects off a relay mirror 407, a servo controlledpolygon mirror 408, and another relay or folding mirror 409. Lightemitted from 409 appear as if the entire image originated from focuspoint 403. From relay mirror 409 the light rays reflect off theellipsoid mirror, with the emitted rays 410 a and 412 a. The reflectedrays are 410 b and 412 b. The light rays that reflect off the ellipsoidmirror 411 are focused through the ellipsoid's second focus point 403.This focus point must be aligned to go through the wearer's eye's centerof rotation.

One method to divide the image presented to one eye into multiple framesis shown in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13. FIG. 11 shows a simplified segmentedimage. The individual segments or frames are labeled 1 through 6 asillustrated in 506. A polygon mirror 501 has one facet for each segment,each facet on the polygon is machined to an angle that will reflect animage emitted by the OLED to a specific segment as shown in FIG. 13.Each facet also has its own magnification that is unique for thatspecific segment. The polygon mirror 501 is servo controlled to rotateat a fixed velocity of 60 HZ. Optical couplers are attached to thepolygon and provide a method to synchronize the projected frames and thefacets.

The synchronization is implemented using several electronic signalswhich can be seen in FIG. 12. Timing of all of the frames requires aninitial vertical sync as shown in 901. An opto coupler is used to detecta detent in the side of the polygon mirror. The pulse 905 a is alignedto occur right before the 1^(st) mirror facet. Internal microprocessortimers are loaded with a value that when reached equals a delay in t1shown in timing diagram between signals 901 and 902. At this same timethe first facet is aligned with the first row of frames. Each positivepulse of signal 901 represents a new set of frames or the beginning of anew image. The next signal is the row sync as shown in signal 902. Thissignal is also generated using an internal timer in the microprocessor.The row sync timer creates a repeatable delay after the start of thevertical sync. The two pulses 906 a and 906 b in between the twovertical sync pulses 905 a and 905 b indicate the beginning of two rows.The last signal is the column sync signal 903. The start of the row syncpulse triggers the column counter to start counting. Once the delay isreached (signal 904 a, delay t2) the column row pulse is generated. Thefourth timer controls the delay and generation of the two remainingcolumn sync pulses 904 b and 904 c. The three column sync pulses thatoccur between the row pulses determine when the projector emits animage. The numbers 1, 2, and 3 above the first set of three pulses 904a-c and the second set of three pulses 4, 5, and 6 shown in FIG. 12occur on signal 903 and are directly correlated with the image segments506 shown in FIG. 11. When, for example, facet 6's column pulse changesfrom low to high, the display controller will have loaded segment 6 intothe OLEDs array buffer. At the rising edge of signal 903, pulse 6 willtrigger the OLED array to be pulsed on for 6 microseconds. When thelight from the OLED strikes the surface of the polygon's facet 6, it isat an angle to reflect the image to segment 6 on image 506.

When the OLED array projects an image, the image is reflected off arotating polygon mirror. As the mirror rotates continuously the imagebeing projected on each facet is turned off before it is smeared. Thatlimit is half of the angular translation between two pixels. Thisresults in the image for each image segment being projected onto thewearer's retina for approximately six microseconds.

Delivering a clear and undistorted image requires applying several modesof correction to compensate for every distortion source. In oneembodiment of the invention, the distortion correction is spread acrossseveral sub systems. For example, geometric aberrations andmagnification variation are compensated for in the polygon's facetdesign. The mirrors and other optical elements are used to correctdistortion due to geometric aberration and magnification variationacross the frame. Luminosity variation across each of the image'ssub-frames is compensated at the image source by current control of thepixels across the Organic Light Emitting Diode array (OLED) using alookup table.

The lookup table is constructed as a separate RAM buffer that isassociated with the pre-distort buffers. One method to implement alookup table is a structure of data for every pixel in the pre-distortbuffer. An example is shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Variable value units Notes Segment Number 1 An integer between 1and maximum segments Pre-Distort [x, y, z] pixels Location points x, y,z in the Location buffer Post-Distort [x, y, z] pixels Location ofpoints x, y, z in Location the post-buffer Color [R, G, B] RGB Color ofpixel Luminosity 130  0-255 Luminosity of pixel Pixel Pixel Radius 50-32 Closest pixel in post- distortion Color Radius 2 0-32 Radius ofadjacent pixels that are set to the same color as the post-distortionpixel

Keystoning and distortion caused by the curved ellipsoid section and theretina are corrected using hardware algorithms and lookup tables. Thealgorithms are mapped to an ASIC which is part of the display buffer1001 in FIG. 7. An example of Keystoning is shown in FIG. 13. Thepolygon 501 is, for this example, positioned horizontally in the middleof the display. Vertically, the polygon is above and behind the display.The six frames shown in 506 do not show the effects of Keystoning. Thesame six segmented frames are shown in FIG. 13.

Only Keystoning is illustrated without any distortion in FIG. 13. TheKeystoning causes all of the segmented frames to change from rectanglesto trapezoids. Each facet on the polygon is designed to slightly overlapthe frames as shown in 604 and 605. The overlap will cause the image tobe brighter wherever an overlap occurs. To correct the overlaps frombecoming brighter than adjacent pixels the luminosity of the overlappixels are modified. This information is pre-calculated duringmanufacturing and stored in a lookup table.

Keystoning and distortions require using pixels to correct their effectsto the image displayed to the wearer. This results in lost resolution.The problem would grow rapidly as shown in FIG. 13, frames 2 and 3, 601and 603 respectfully. The overlap is shown by 604. The pixels in theoverlap areas shown in 604 and 605 would be lost to correcting theluminosity and preventing a visual gap to the wearer. In fact, pixelloss grows as a square function as the pixel's distance increases. Theoverlap 605 between frames 4 and 5 is a trapezoid compared to thesmaller triangle of the overlap between frames 2 and 3 of FIG. 13.

Distortion would contribute to the lost pixels as well. The location ofthe polygon mirror is optimized to minimize the Keystoning effect.

The system corrects for the effects of Keystoning and distortion byempirically measuring the Keystoning and distortion during manufacturingand placing the data in the lookup table 1003 shown in FIG. 7. Thismethod is called mapping and is dependent on the superpositionprinciple, which assumes that Keystoning, distortion, wearer'sprescription, and dynamic inputs can be treated individually with theircorrection terms summed together. This results in each pixel's locationbeing offset by the addition of the terms shown as inputs to the mappingalgorithm 1007.

The mapping algorithm's goal is to pre-distort the image's pixels asthey are moved to the display buffer 1008, such that when the image ispulsed onto the eye, the wearer sees a clear and undistorted image. Thepre-distorted image mapping expands all image segmented frames to apre-distorted image larger than the image source. The oversizedpre-distorted image is scaled to “fit” with the image buffer space.Depending on the distance between adjacent images pixels each imagepixel's color is applied to gap pixels created by the pre-distortionalgorithm 1007.

In three dimensional space the algorithm executes a standard graphicstransformation matrix that rotates, translates, and scales the image.This process is performed during the engineering development of thedevice. The effects of distortion due to the ellipsoid and the retinaare loaded and stored in a lookup table. During normal operation thelookup table describes the offset required for each pixel (See Table 1).The size and the value within the lookup table are defined by the numberof segments required to display an image. A simple, but modified DirectMemory Access (DMA) is executed on the buffer ram. A traditional DMAconsists of a custom ASIC that has internal registers for data source,data destination, and size of data package. The modified DMA differsfrom the traditional DMA because of the additional process before andafter the move is complete. Before the DMA is turned on, the DisplayController Processor writes the number of bytes to transfer, sourceaddress and destination address into the DMA Controller's internalregisters. DMA is the typical method to transfer large amounts of datawithout consuming the Display Controller's Processor code executiontime. Alternative solutions could use the Display Controller's Processordirectly to move the data. The segment number is stored as a variable inthe lookup table. The segments are transmitted to the goggle innumerical sequenced DMA transmission to the goggles over fiber opticcables. In addition to the DMA transmission of the data, the metadatadefined in Table 1 is sent with the data as well.

The luminosity value must be set and the Pixel-Pixel Radius setsadjacent pixels to the same color as the Post-Distortion Pixel. Themapping is shown moving the pixel from the input buffer 1001 to theinput to the multi input mapping algorithm 1007, to the pre-distortionbuffer 1005. An example of illustrating the effect of pre-distortion toexpand the image size is shown in 1006. The mapping function 1007 mapsthe pixel from the input buffer 1001 to a different and expandedposition in the display buffer 108. The display buffer 1008 has “gaps”between pixels that are adjacent in the input buffer. The same pixelcolor is used to fill-in the spaces between input pixels.

The lookup table 1003 is tested for accuracy and modified duringmanufacturing. As part of the final manufacturing process the finishedgoggle is placed into a custom designed goggle tester. The defaultvalues in the lookup table were developed during the engineeringdevelopment phase. The manufacturing test removes variations in partdimensions by testing then modifying specific pixels in the image. Anexample of the goggle test is shown in FIG. 14 a. The goggle is placedin a clamp down holder in which the goggles are positioned in a verticalreference 1601. Two glass hollow hemispheres are mounted where thewearer's eyes would typically be located. The posterior side of thehemispheres 1606, shown in FIG. 14 b, are lightly frosted. A biconvexlens is mounted in same location as the lens of a typical human eye1605, which is 17 mm in front of the hemispheres. The lens system isdesigned to be a reduced eye, which means that a single lens 1605 andaperture 1607 are being used to model all of the refractive surfaces ofthe human eye and the varying refractive indexes at their interfaces.The cameras and glass hemispheres are mounted on two pivoting arms. Eacharm's rotation axis passes through the eye's center of rotation. Severaltest images are then displayed on both left eye and right eyeprojectors. The image is displayed on the back of the frostedhemispheres. Three images are taken at both rotational extremes (0 to120 degrees) 1602 and 1604, and at the typical location of the eye'sfovea 1603. The images are then processed with software that initiallyverifies that the non-distorted image shown on the back of thehemispheres is within one half of the distance between the imagesources' pixels. Next a test that determines if the calibration isaccurate to correct for a wearer's Myopia and Hyperopia is performed.This is accomplished by changing the position of the lens and aperturealong the goggles optical axis. An additional test checks if thecalibration is sufficiently accurate to correct for a wearer'sastigmatism. The third test verifies that the lookup table that wasdeveloped by engineering during development is accurate enough tooperate with normal operations.

This invention also allows for the wearer to input dynamic data into thegoggle's operational parameters. The dynamic input allows for a few veryrestrictive parameters to be set by the wearer.

If the wearer typically wears glasses his prescription can be enteredand stored in the goggle's display controller. Correction for Myopia andHyperopia retinal focus is achievable for most wearer's eye prescription1002. Each projector has its own motor 1112, as shown in FIG. 6 c, thatcan change the diopters of the projector system left and projectorsystem right in the positive and negative direction. In addition, anyastigmatism can also be corrected. This data is stored in a differentand separate part of the display controller 1002. Astigmatism iscorrected by entering the x axis rotation and magnification and thenentering the y axis rotation and magnification. The calculation forcorrecting astigmatism requires numerous computation cycles. The highcomputational resources are minimized by conducting calculations whenthe goggles are not being used. Once the calculations are completed thedisplay controller will store the results in the lookup table.

Provisions for other aberrations that require dynamic inputs areidentified by 1004.

Embodiments of the goggle can be either immersive or see-through. Thegoggles shown in FIG. 6( b) contain an ellipsoid section which issemi-mirrored on the inside surface 1106 as well as coated with specialLiquid Crystals 1105 that work on curved surfaces. By changing thevoltage across the Liquid Crystal's pixels, light can be blocked orallowed to be transmissive. In other embodiments of the invention athree axes accelerometer 1108 in FIG. 6 c is mounted in the goggleassembly. By applying a single integration or double integration to theoutputs of the accelerometer the velocity and position of the head aredetermined respectfully. Knowing the position, velocity, andacceleration of the head, along with eye tracking allows the locationand orientation of the eyes to be known at any time. One example of howthe head position, velocity, and acceleration are applied is inendoscopic surgery. A single robotic arm that has multiple degrees offreedom can be controlled with head movement. A surgeon using thisfeature could control a robotic arm holding an endoscopic camera bymoving his head. This will allow for the surgeon to have both hands freewhile performing endoscopic surgery. In one embodiment, the surgeoncould control the arm using head motion, and then disable the controlwhen needed. This will allow the surgeon to continue with the surgerywithout having to keep his head motionless. In general surgery thesurgeon could operate in total immersive mode. The display controllercan superpose, for example, a tumor in a liver. The tumor location anddimensions would be obtained by processing MRI or CT scans. Using theaccelerometer for inertial tracking of the head allows the perspectiveof the tumor to change as the surgeon moves his head.

In addition to sensors like the accelerometer the goggles have aspecialized eye tracking ability. Two cameras and infrared lightemitting diodes (LEDs) are used for each eye. A camera and LED arepackaged together as shown in 1103, 1107 and 1109 in FIG. 6 a. Thecamera has a minimum sample rate of 200 Hertz. The high sample rate isrequired to track the eye over its entire range of motion and throughoutits acceleration and velocity profiles.

The invention's ability to project a wide field of view and high acuitydisplay onto the goggle wearer's eyes requires a video input with equalcapabilities. In addition, the camera must provide vergence control fora more natural real time focus and 3D reality.

The human eye has varying resolution. The highest resolution occurs atthe fovea 1701 which has a resolution of 20/20 and a field of view ofapproximately 3 degrees. The peripheral region of the eye has a generalresolution of 20/200. The brain takes the high resolution and the lowresolution portions of an image projected onto the retina and transmitsthem over the optical nerve to the portion of the brain called thevisual cortex. The visual cortex is located at the posterior part of thebrain. This region takes the high resolution narrow field of view imageand maps it across the low resolution wide field of view image. Theresult is that the entire image seems to be high resolution.

The camera shown in FIG. 16 mimics the way the retina processes animage. A wide field of view lens 1801 starts the optical path for thecamera. The image is collimated through lens assembly 1811 before goingthrough a beam splitter 1810. The image is now split into two paths, oneis high resolution and the other low resolution. The low resolution pathimage goes through a neutral density filter shown in FIG. 17 b. Thefilter has three regions, the first is transparent 1905, the second isgradient 1906 which varies from transparent to opaque, and the lastregion is opaque. Next the low resolution path image goes throughanother lens package 1807 that focuses the image into the charge-coupleddevice (CCD) array of a wide angle camera 1805. The high resolution pathstarts from beam splitter 1910 then goes through a neutral densityfilter shown in FIG. 17 a that also has three regions. The first regionis opaque 1901, the second is a gradient from opaque to transparent 1902and the third is transparent 1903. The portion of the image that passesthrough the filter is only a small central region measuring 10 degreesof field of view at the beginning of the gradient. The narrow image thengoes through a lens assembly 1803 that magnifies and focuses the imageonto the CCD array of camera 1804.

The image has now been optically divided into a high and low resolutionimage and converted to an electrical signal stored in the CCD array oftwo cameras. The camera is part of a camera module that attaches to thetop of the goggles shown in FIG. 18, at 2001 and 2002. The camera modulecontains two cameras. The camera output is transmitted to the displaycontroller and stored in the macular centered buffers 1402 and 1404. Thedisplay controller combines the high resolution and low resolutionimages from the cameras. From the macular centered buffers the image ismoved to the pre-distortion buffers 1507 b and 1507 d, which are locatedin display buffer 1403 and 1405. From the pre-distortion buffers theimages are sent back to the goggles to be projected onto the wearer'sretina as described above.

The resulting output of this high-resolution, low-resolution andwide-field-of-view camera is shown in a simulated photograph FIG. 19 a.The central region of the photograph has a high resolution whichgradually blends to low resolution for the rest of the photograph. Amagnified part of the central and blending regions of the photograph isshown in FIG. 19 b.

Vergence control captures two movements of human eyes. The first occurswhen a person stares in the distance; the eyes diverge and are parallelas shown in FIG. 20. When a person's gaze is near, the eyes converge andthe focus is at a point 2101 which is a specific distance away, as shownin FIG. 21.

Wide-angle eye tracking is required such that the eye's position isknown across the eye's entire field of view. Two miniature cameras 1107and 1110 in FIG. 6 c and 1103 in FIG. 6 a, each with an infrared LED,are used for each eye. The cameras are mounted at the bottom edge of theellipsoid mirrors. The position of the eye at any moment is critical.Typical cameras sample at 60 to 120 frames per second. Sample rates of60 to 120 hertz are too slow for accurate eye tracking. This inventionuses a sampling camera of at least about 250 hertz which can track theeye even at the eye's maximum velocity, which is 500 degrees per second.

The eye tracking data is used as an input to the camera servo system.The servo system does not attempt to continuously track the eye'smovement with the camera. Instead the eye movement is broken down intostages. The eye starts at rest then the person moves the eye usually ina saccadic motion towards whatever has captured his attention. The eyeeventually decelerates and comes to a stop. The human brain does notprocess the images coming from the retina during saccadic motion. Thebrain waits until the eye stops before the images become part of theperson's conscience. The time it takes from the moment the eye stopsmoving until the time the brain completes processing the image variesfrom person to person. The range for most of the population is 30 ms to200 ms. The servo system is designed to complete a move from where theeye started a saccadic move to where the eye ends the saccadic move inless than 15 ms.

Each camera shown in FIG. 7 uses two motors to respond to the eye'ssaccadic movements. One motor controls the pitch angle 1809 and theother controls the yaw angle 1806 and 1807.

The goggle processor coordinates the motion of these two motors bysending a position trajectory to the motor's servo code. The servo codethen calculates a current command that is sent to the motor driver. Thecurrent command is calculated by the servo code and its value isproportional to the error in position between the position trajectoryinput and the current position of the camera angle

The high resolution camera described above and shown in FIG. 17, thewide angle eye tracking and the servo code and system work together tocreate vergence control for the vision platform. The primary benefit ofvergence control is that it provides the goggle wearer with 3D stereoimages that are very close to reality. Vergence control is achieved bymimicking two systems in the human body, retinal/brain physiology, andhuman eye dynamics and producing a high-definition narrow-field-of-viewand low definition wide-field-of-view that moves with the wearer's eyes.

The invention could provide an increased quality of life for individualssuffering from Macular Degeneration, other retinal diseases, braininjuries, or other visual shortcomings. The invention could use a videosource mounted directly to the goggle or another portion of the wearer'sbody, which would supply an image directly to the retina of theindividual.

This invention also provides an enhanced vision solution for four typesof surgical categories: robotic assist, general, endoscopic, andsurgical microscopes. The advantages of the current invention areidentified by category.

Robotic Assist Surgery.

Current solutions create a 3D stereo image by using two high definitionLCD monitors. One monitor presents an image to one eye and the othermonitor presents a similar image but from a slight horizontal offsetfrom the image source. The two monitors along with two wide angle lensesand packaging produce a large costly system that requires a hydraulicmechanism to move the vision system into position. The image is clearbut resolution is limited along with a narrow field-of-view. The surgeonmust keep his head affixed in the same position for the duration of thesurgery. The current invention separates the surgeon from a fixedviewing point. The surgeon can move around to a comfortable position,adjusting his or her head as desired while continuing to receive aclear, wide field-of-view, high resolution image. The current inventionis also significantly more cost efficient that the large LCD solution.

General Surgery.

Current vision enhancement solutions in open surgery are limited to eyeloops and microscopes (discussed below). Eye loops can give the surgeonthe correct magnification, but the field-of-view is limited. The newcamera described herein could be mounted to the goggle and provides animage that has similar magnification, has a wide field-of-view, and hasresolution similar to the human eye. The camera module's servo systemstrack the surgeon's eye motion, including where the surgeon is focusinghis attention. This dynamic focus control, called vergence, is discussedin detail above.

Endoscopic Surgery.

Current solutions in endoscopic surgery generally have the surgeonholding a camera tool in one hand and a surgical tool in the other hand.The surgeon sees the camera output on a flat monitor. The currentinvention can be connected to a 3D video camera connected to a cameratool and can provide the surgeon with image clarity similar to the humaneye. In addition, the 3D camera in conjunction with the currentinvention provides the surgeon with depth perception.

Surgical Microscopes.

With current solutions the surgeon views the patient using traditionalmicroscope oculars that consist of two eye pieces that are adjustable inwidth to align to different people eye separation. The surgeon must movehis head toward then away from the eyepieces in order to find the spotwhere the entire image is seen by both eyes. Most surgical microscopesalso have a camera option that displays the camera image on a highdefinition monitor.

There are some 3D cameras used with surgical microscopes that present apassive 3D image. The 3D image is seen on flat screen monitors only whenspecial polarized glasses are worn. The hardware then alternates betweenthe left and right eye polarization screens mounted on the front of themonitor. The current invention allows the surgeon to move independentlyfrom the microscope, compared to existing systems that require thesurgeon to keep his eyes fixed, looking into the microscope's oculars.This invention, using the microscope as the video input, gives thesurgeon the freedom to sit or stand in a comfortable position. His headcan be positioned naturally, looking at his hands.

Existing flat screen solutions require the surgeon to look to the leftor right to see the flat screen monitor. This is true for 2D or 3Dmonitors. The invention's image resolution presented to the surgeon issimilar to that of the human eye. Human eye resolution is achievableonly with microscope camera with similar resolution as the cameradescribed herein.

The current invention can display existing High Definition protocols,such as MP4, but the resolution will not be near the capabilities of theinvention. In order to take full advantage of the invention's resolutioncapabilities, the camera described in FIGS. 16-19 is required.

With the modularity and functionality of the invention it could be usedfor many other purposes. For example, the oil and gas and entertainmentindustries would benefit significantly from the invention.

Two primary applications in the oil industry would be remote piloting ofRemotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and 3D data analysis. Currentnavigation of ROVs in subsea oil and gas applications uses several flat2D panel displays and joy sticks. The 3D Stereo Vision Platform with 120degrees field of view for each eye can greatly simplify ROV control. Thewide field of view (FOV) coupled with the 3 axes accelerometers in thegoggles could be used to offer natural head motion camera control. Whenthe ROV is moving, the high resolution and wide FOV makes it easy tomake a multiple camera interface given to the navigator.

Oil and gas companies also have very large data warehouses where theystore many years of seismic data. The wide FOV and high acuity of theinvention make it ideal to use if for the display and review of the 3Ddata. This is a camera-less based application in which the seismic datais rendered then sent to the display. If the optical interface to thegoggle was used to display the seismic data then that would be an easyway to use the full resolution of the goggle vision platform. Inentertainment the first product that would be a natural fit for thisinvention is the ubiquitous gaming console. Virtual reality goggles andglasses have tried before with mixed success to penetrate this market.All of the products have only provided a seemingly larger display tolook at and not addressed the total immersion effect. This inventionwould provide the total immersion affect or the missing feature that haslimited widespread adoption of virtual reality in the gaming industry.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the other industrieswould benefit from use of the invention described.

While this patent has described specific embodiments of the invention,those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other embodiments,improvements, and modifications within the spirit of the invention, andsuch embodiments remain within the scope of the present invention, whichis limited only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for projecting a series of imagesonto a retina of an eye comprising: a. An image input for receiving aseries of images; At least one processor for dividing the images togenerate a series of segmented images; b. A light emitting device forprojecting the series of segmented images from a first focus of anellipsoid; c. A first mirror; and d. A second mirror; Wherein the lightemitting device projects said series of segmented images off the firstmirror and the second mirror and wherein the second mirror is positionedsuch that the series of segmented images are reflected to a second focusof the ellipsoid representing a center-of-rotation of the eye.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said first mirror is a rotating polygonmirror.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first mirror is avector mirror.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said light emittingdevice comprises at least one of an organic light emitting diode, alaser, a light emitting diode (LED) or a liquid crystal display (LCD).5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a lens package forcollimating said segmented images before the projection off said firstmirror.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pair of gogglesfor aligning said light emitting device, said first mirror, and saidsecond mirror with respect to the second focus of the ellipsoid.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein the image input is mounted to the goggles.8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the light emitting device ismovable to align with said second focus of the ellipsoid.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a liquid-crystal coating on atleast a portion of the goggles, wherein changing the voltage applied tothe coating adjusts the transmittance of light through the goggles. 10.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a device for timing theprojection of said series of segmented images off said first mirror. 11.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second image input forreceiving a second series of images; a second light emitting device forprojecting a second series of segmented images from a first focus of asecond ellipsoid; a third mirror; and a fourth mirror, wherein thesecond light emitting device projects said second series of segmentedimages off the third mirror and the fourth mirror and wherein the fourthmirror is positioned such that the second series of segmented images arereflected to a second focus of the second ellipsoid representing acenter-of-rotation of a second eye.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising at least one processor for adjusting said series of segmentedimages to compensate for differences in brightness where said segmentedimages overlap.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at leastone processor for correcting for at least one of distortion orKeystoning.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least onecamera for tracking movement of the eye.
 15. A method of projecting aseries of images on a retina of an eye, comprising: a. Receiving aseries of images; b. Segmenting said series of images; and c. Projectingfrom a first focus of an ellipsoid said series of segmented images off afirst mirror and a second mirror to a second focus of the ellipsoidrepresenting a center-of-rotation of the eye.
 16. The method of claim15, further comprising collimating said series of segmented imagesbefore said series of segmented images is reflected off said firstmirror.
 17. The method of claim 15 further comprising adjusting thelocation of a light emitting device to align the second focus point ofthe ellipsoid with the center-of-rotation of the eye.
 18. The method ofclaim 15 wherein said first mirror is a rotating polygon mirror and eachof said segmented images is timed to project off of a designated facetof said rotating polygon mirror.
 19. The method of claim 15 furthercomprising correcting for at least one of image distortion orKeystoning.
 20. The method of claim 15 further comprising adjusting saidseries of segmented images to compensate for differences in brightnesswhere said segmented images overlap.